For anyone hanging in there, here's the 'meat' of my report.

The diving? One word - wonderful. We visited 1000 Steps (quite a workout just getting to/from the water, but I felt a great sense of achievement in hauling all that *#&! gear up and and down those stairs), Alice in Wonderland (all that was missing was the Mad Hatter), Invisibles (twice), Tori’s Reef, Angel City, Windsock, La Dania-Karpata (first real wall I’ve seen on Bonaire), the Cliff (nice mini-wall), Buddy’s house reef (twice) and Bari Reef. I am partial to the southern dive sites, although La Dania-Karpata might be my new favorite dive, simply for the thrill of jumping in with such finality.

Damage from Omar is evident (as noted by many others on this board), but shore diving is still the best, and I will take damaged Bonairean reefs over cattle-call boat dives in any other place anytime. We did no boat dives this trip. We did a full day of diving with Bas Noij, including the UV light night dive...that was the best day of diving I’ve ever had. No kidding. Bas is great. (See my other post entitled 'Bas Noij Rocks' which is devoted exclusively to the greatness of Bas. )

Things we saw…..hawksbill turtle (two), seahorse (one….thanks Bas), more sharp-tailed eels than I could count, scorpionfish (I even found one myself in the shallows while exiting Invisibles on the last dive of the trip, a nice parting gift), and all the other usual suspects. I personally did not see any rays or green morays this trip, although Denise and Paul both saw a small ray on one of the dives, I missed it. Perhaps my pinkness overwhelmed the ray. I think I would be jealous of me if I were a plain black ray

I must say the most interesting dive was Alice in Wonderland, simply because the stuff to see really did make me feel like I fell down the rabbit hole. The growth on that part of the reef is fantastical, and very different from most other dives on Bon (at least to my relatively virgin Bonaire eyes). Bari Reef seemed to have suffered the most Omar damage and it sort of resembled a sand-covered junk yard. Of course, I didn’t dive it last year, so maybe it always looks that way? Sorry if my comments offend anyone who ranks Bari up there as a 'favorite dive', but I simply didn’t like it and would probably not dive it again, even though we saw a few interesting things, like a flounder in the shallows. There are just too many other awesome places to dive for me, personally. That’s the beauty of Bonaire, there is something for everyone’s tastes. So, Bari lovers, don’t hate on me for my comments

Now, let’s talk food! We don’t usually cook on vacation, and Bonaire is no exception. Our apartment at BOA had a nice kitchen and all the stuff we needed if the urge to cook struck us at anytime. It did not. Lucky for us, there are more than enough fabulous restaurants to keep us well-fed.

It was our inaugural trip to Bobbejans (extremely convenient as it is next door to BOA), and it was as good as those on BT rave it is. We will undoubtedly be back for ribs on every future trip. Other places we explored (all were fabulous)…..Salsa (best caphrahinia on Bon), It Rains Fishes, Papaya Moon, Patagonia, Mona Lisa, Pasa Bon, La Guernica, and Whattaburger. And, of course, the french fries at Buddy Dive’s outdoor restaurant. I don’t know what it is about those particular fries, but I love them and have not found anything close to their deliciousness in all my travels. We ate lunch there after one dive simply for the fries (and the view, of course). Brights and Buddy fries, a meal made in heaven. Definitely not swimsuit friendly, but it is vacation after all!

We ventured to Maiky Snack with Bas. Denise is a vegetarian which made it a little tricky for her. She was good until she started finding bones in her ‘vegetarian’ stew. But, she was a trooper and we all had a good time. I will never be able to again locate Maiky Snack without Bas, though, so he is stuck being our Maiky Snack tour guide for life, I guess.

Fat and happy from all the diving and eating...I’ll see if I can get a Part IV together.

So far Liz a great report..I had pink fins when I first started to dive {you do have to be stylish!LOL} keep the postings coming..!!

Keep em coming. I tend to agree with you choice of dives . Add Candyland and Taylor Made to your next trip , Like Alice in Wonderland on steroids.

Liz, Awesome reports
It's good to see you back here; I have missed you!!!!
SO glad you got back to BON. Now you're gonna be an old pro like the rest of us!!!

Liz..Next time you have the fries, try 'em with mayo instead of ketchup. I have now been converted to the Dutch way of eating them.

One of my favorite meals after a deep dive is a rare cheeseburger, ice cold Heineken & the aforementioned fries & mayo while overlooking the cerulean blue water.

Now, I enjoyed reading your informative posts but there's only 1 thing missing.. Did you have a camera with you?

Liz, great report so far, keep it coming. I have to agree that Alice in Wonderland and Angel City are 2 of my fav dive sites. I'm also partial to Papaya Moon since one of the owners used to be local to us and was also a dive master at the local dive shop.. Food is good too!!

I'm loving your report!!! Thanks!!
You have a great sense of humor!!!!

Lloyd - we TRIED to find Candyland and Taylor Made, but gave up when we came to the proverbial 'fork in the road' (behind the BOPEC storage silos) and were unsure which way to go. Oh well, we have something to look forward to for next trip!

Vince - yes, mayo + ketchup is superior to plain ketchup. I didn't know it was a Dutch thing, though, I thought it was just one of my 'unusual' tastes Still not good for the waistline AT ALL!

Kimo - re: Papaya Moon, apparently mom and dad went back to TX and now the son is running the place. My very tiny tidbit of Bonaire gossip.

Cheers everyone!

Just FYI for everyone re: Papaya Moon. Pat & Ray did return to the States & "the son" is still here in Bonaire working at a club downtown. The other 2 owners -the Chef (who has always been there)and his wife are still here running the restaurant.

Island Girl - thanks for that clarification. My comment was not intended to parlay incorrect information (or insinuate anything). Just wanted to pass along some info we received when we were there, for anyone to whom it might be relevant. FYI, we were told that specific information by the "son" who waited on us when we dined there one evening a few weeks back. So, now I'm curious as to who might have actually waited on us!

Regardless, the food was as good as we remembered from our previous trip, and I hope to return there next time we're on island! I just wish Paradise Coffee would have been open in the mornings. That would have been so much more convenient, as we were staying at BOA.

Thanks for the info on Papaya Moon.. Will have to go by the LDS and see if it is a permanent relocation for them.. As long as the chef is still there then all is well.. Gotta have my fill of Tex-mex Bonaire style..

It is a permanent relocation. Chef's still there. Get your fix.

Yes Ma'am.. Looks like you have the inside 411